Cannot wait

[harold]

We will be visiting lovely LV Aug31-Sept2 and I cannot wait. We will fly in early in the morning and stay at The Venetian. We're pretty regular to Vegas, so I'm really antsy to get out there. We will do our usual. We love getting there nice and early. We will arrive around 9a and be able to see the city before it 'wakes up' for the day. I prefer to take the shuttles, rather than cabs, from the airport. You get a more spacious ride and I actually like all the stops to see the other hotels. It's like a free tour of the city. I recommend CLS, they are better than the competition. I really enjoy the canal at Venetian and Taqueria Canonita. Their service is horrid, but the food and location are awesome. It's pretty cheap too. I will be sure to check out the new tiger cubs at The Mirage. Casino Royale is always a favorite for $1 margaritas. Then we'll roll over to O'Shea's for cheap Guinness. The last time we were there, the bartender made a shamrock in the foam. I'll try to get a picture this time. For really cheap Guinness, you can also hit up the ABC store in the Miracle Mile shops. MGM is nice, I don't think I've ever come out with less money than I went in with. I typically hit up the jello shots in the front (Lisa's station) and they have cheap Heineken in the back gift shop. The big cats are nice to watch, when it's not too crowded. I have many memories of this casino. The shark reef is a must do for us everytime we visit. The Excalibur has cheap Guinness in cans in their gift shop. Our favorite strip restaurant, nine fine, is a must for us. Unfortunately I got food poisoning here once, but I don't hold it against them. We'll hit up the Brew Pub at Monte Carlo, before they destroy that too. I think it's one of the more exciting, under appreciated places on the strip. It's really too bad, because we love it. I am sure it will close soon. Most of the staff seem to agree. We'll try to see as many fountain shows as possible at the Bellagio, especially after dark. Caesar's is a nice walk through as well. Our favorite restaurant, Musashi, is just a short cab ride from The Venetian, and has the best teppan grill I've ever had. I have to plug this place, it's just so good. We don't gamble a lot, but our favorite slots are Big Cheese Caper, Hexbreaker and my personal favorite: Quack Shot. I have won sizable amounts several times on Quack Shot. The Bellagio conservatory is worth a quick look as well. I am looking forward to seeing the progress on City Center. My girlfriend's company is building it, so it holds interest for us. Looks like we might get some thunderstorms there. I think that'd be pretty cool to see from our window in the Venetian. I doubt there will be any substantial rain though. We'll have a lovely return home meal at the airport Chili's. Have you ever seen such bad service? I think the worst part of the trip, is sitting in the airport, hearing the sad few slots dinging, and realizing you won't get to experience that again, for a long time. Looking forward to the trip though, especially the Venetian. I guess this is my pre-trip report. Ha.

[misterKeno]

I've gotta ask you - 'what' do you order when at Canonita Taqueria? My dining experience was pretty sub-par when i went there last time. I think the prices are moderate (in my book).... and, as well, some SOLID mexican food can be 'had' here in town -- and only a block or two off the main drag. Just wondering if there's a menu item that's great & i dont know about it? LOL.

Oh, and it's pretttty bad that you're charged for chips n salsa. Dont ya think?

Anyhow - you're prolly GEARIN up for your big trip. Hope it's a dandy!

mK

[Jacqui, Duskette8]

Hey Harold, Get your video camera ready for that thunderstorm - I've seen a few really big thunderstorms, most notably from my 24th floor in the Luxor and 27th floor in the TI. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, it was amazing!

It sounds like you're gonna have a great time ..... and I feel better knowing that I'm not the only one who plans my trip in such detail before I go :D

[bostonkev]

we are going 27th of September and we already have things planned that we want to see and do. All of our usual places!

[YSinAppleton]

You don't have long to wait now. Looks like you have a lot of things planned. Hope you have a wonderful time. Will look forward to a trip report when you return home.

[harold]

I've gotta ask you - 'what' do you order when at Canonita Taqueria? My dining experience was pretty sub-par when i went there last time. I think the prices are moderate (in my book).... and, as well, some SOLID mexican food can be 'had' here in town -- and only a block or two off the main drag. Just wondering if there's a menu item that's great & i dont know about it? LOL.

Oh, and it's pretttty bad that you're charged for chips n salsa. Dont ya think?

Anyhow - you're prolly GEARIN up for your big trip. Hope it's a dandy!

mK

Great question... this took a while to remember. Last time we had two bottles of Sangria (about 1 lt. each) so it makes it harder to remember. We did order the chips and salsa. I agree, it's kind of a bummer to charge for it. But that's Vegas. I think my girlfriend had a quesadilla and I had a burrito. I know one time before, we got the six taco sampler plate and really liked that. We tend to share a lot of dishes, so we typically spend a lot less. I guess my 'cheap' statement is comparatively speaking at the Venetian. I agree that Canonita Taqueria is NOT solid Mexican food, but as far as strip Mexican goes, it's pretty good. It's a little more "eclectic" (for lack of a better word) than most people are used to for Mexican food. I live in SoCal and find that places that serve that style (as opposed to more Tex-Mex style with red-ranchero sauce) aren't as popular. Regardless, each to his own, and I could definitely see someone not liking this place. It doesn't look very inviting either. They need to have better menu descriptions and more english. I don't care if it's Mexican food, I want to have a clue what I'm ordering.

The Mexican place I really miss is Margarita's at The New Frontier. That was just good, cheap grub. We went in about a week before it closed, I think we paid around $15 for two of us, including drinks.... memories.

[harold]

Hey Harold, Get your video camera ready for that thunderstorm - I've seen a few really big thunderstorms, most notably from my 24th floor in the Luxor and 27th floor in the TI. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, it was amazing!

It sounds like you're gonna have a great time ..... and I feel better knowing that I'm not the only one who plans my trip in such detail before I go :D

I have a really sharp camera, super compact too with video. I took about 200 pictures on my last trip to Vegas. Looking forward to seeing the storm, hopefully it doesn't 'wash out' my trip.

We do a TON of planning. Only because we want to get everything in. Typically we visit each casino on the strip at least once or twice. We have a lot of time to do that, because we gamble sparsely and never go to shows. Our longest 'events' are usually meals. It adds a lot of anticipation to the trip to plan a lot. I spend a lot of time on the hotel's websites seeing what is new.

[misterKeno]

Yeah, i hear ya, friend. You make some good points.

Will look forw. to your TR & such!!!

mK

[Hockey53]

we are going 27th of September and we already have things planned that we want to see and do. All of our usual places!My wife,daughter,father in law and I will be going to Henderson on Sept.26th to stay at my aunt's house and then my wife,daughter and I will be going to FF11 at the MGM Garden Arena on the 27th to watch the L.A.Kings play the Colo. Avalanche. It will be our daughter's 1st hockey game in Las Vegas. Plus she will also be 21.:D